1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a device for controlling electrical lighting circuits. More particularly, the present invention provides a lighting control device that may be user programmed to operate associated lights at predetermined times and for predetermined intervals.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The incidence of property loss due to breakins in private residences is increasing at an appalling rate. Yet it is often the resident's routine that unintentionally provides encouragement to house-breakers. It safely can be assumed that a house-breaker would prefer to find no one home when he makes his call. In this way, there is no one to defend the homestead or to call the police. House-breakers watch for indications that no one is at home. For example, newspapers piling up at the door-step indicate that the resident is out of town. By watching a house in the evening, the house-breaker can determine if the resident is at home by making note of activity within the home, as indicated by the presence of sounds or, more particularly, by the operation of lights.
Residents may often discourage house-breakers, and thereby protect their possessions when they are away from home, by providing a lighting use pattern at the residence which gives the residence a "lived-in" appearance. One such way of controlling residential lighting when no one is home is to provide a timer switch in series with the lighting circuit. Most of such devices that are commercially available plug into a wall outlet and provide a receptacle into which a table or floor lamp is plugged. The device is typically operated by an electric motor which drives a clock mechanism. The mechanism provides various settings whereby the clock movement opens and closes a switch to control the light plugged into the timer receptacle.
Such timers provide limited control of the lighting circuit. That is, the number of events (number of times the lights associated therewith may be operated) are usually few. The limited number of events provide a less convincing illusion of residency to a prospective house-breaker. For example, turning a light on at 7:00 P.M. and turning the same light off at 10:00 P.M. every night presents a mechanical appearance of light use within the residence and may not persuade the house-breaker to avoid the residence. It would be more convincing to provide a series of lighting events during a typical evening, indicating activity within.
Such timers as are commonly available generally draw a small amount of current which, over a long period of time, adds up to a significant operating cost. Such timers may often require the use of extension cords and other such wiring which is unsightly and which also presents a shock or fire hazard. Because such devices look "out of place", a casual visitor (such as a delivery man) may notice that such devices are in use and may be tempted to make a pick-up when no one is at home. Additionally, such devices are unsightly and take up counter or table space.
Such timing devices are useful only for table or floor lamps. The devices cannot be used for lighting controlled by a wall switch, such as ceiling or fixture lighting. Such timing devices are particularly useless for nonsecurity applications, such as safety lighting. For example, a hall light on a three-way lighting switch cannot be controlled by such devices. Yet it is desirable to provide lighting in a hallway during those hours when the hallway is darkened and yet may occasionally be used.